Pens and Needles
by PinkMenace1227
Summary: Private Redell Hoover and Theta Squad find themselves trapped in a labyrinth of Locust-made tunnels deep under Jacinto after escaping a narrow encounter with a Berseker. The labyrinth tests the squads bonds and most of all their sanity.
1. Prologue

**Pens and Needles**

**0 :: Impatience**

Being young had its advantages and disadvantages; you are capable of learning, capable of adapting more quickly but you are inexperienced and being illed by inexperiency usually results in hasty, fatal decisions.

But under the current circumstances, the advantages remained the same; as did the disadvantages but merely adding a single word changes the picture entirely.

Young _woman. _

The overcast of clouds looming in the sky complimented Sergeant Wyatt Merchants attitude perfectly.

"Where the _hell _is my support?"

Grave, gloomy, and utterly unpredictable; but it was to only be expected.

"Sergeant Merchant to Control. Where are those Ravens!"

Crouched behind a crumbling wall for cover, Theta Squad's Gears waited eagerly in tensing silence for an answer.

"_Control to Merchant. Those Ravens are coming. The sky is crowded. _Stand-by_._" A stressed male voice exploded in their ears.

Merchant grunted deep in his throat in disapproval and fired rounds onto the on-coming Locust. Merchant was known widely for his impatience.

"This is bullshit." Alexander Capps grumbled, blindfiring his Lancer over the wall.

The guttural growls, roars, and screeches of the ugly, bulky Locust reverberated through the shattered and ruined cityscape, echoing deeper into the city. They were getting closer; louder.

"Hoover! Kennedy! Move up! Send those bastards back into the hole they came from." Merchant barked.

Hoover lanced forward on light toes and began towards the Emergence Hole. Kennedy fell in behind, watch their six.

Locust heads poked up from all directions, they were taking fire from all directions. and Hoover desperately wanted a sniper rifle, wanting to see their brains splatter.

As they continued to leap around from cover to cover, Hoover spotted the Hole dipping down between a pair of abandoned vehicles, Locust crawling out of the deep, misty hole.

Hoover recognized something from the corner of the eye and the adrenaline hit; skidding in the debris that layered the ground light, Hoover dived for cover yanking Kennedy along. A grenade, confirming Hoover's recognition, spiraled just over their head and bounced a mere yard away from them.

"Run!" Kennedy screamed.

Hoover thrusted over a mound of concrete and fired the Lancer, bullets spewing over the Locust dropping a few. Hoover could feel the bullets zing closer; their shots more well placed. Kennedy was just a beat behind Hoover, firing as well.

The grenade detonated and a wave of heat crashed into their backs.

Hoover slammed hard against a hard solid object, face first, crushing the face behind the helmet. Hoover slumped to the ground aching, mouth tainted with the metallic taste of iron.

"That was _not _a grenade." Hoover mutter, staggering up. "A little support would be appreciated."

"_Well, _my_ support ain't here!"_ Merchant countered with a thick, acidic voice.

Hoover groaned loudly in irritation.

Kennedy took cover behind a vehicle and fired his Lancer over the hood. "We need to find a way to get closer. The grubs aren't letting us – Oh shit!" Kennedy flipped down, shielding his head as a barrage of bullets hailed onto the vehicle.

Hoover thought hard for just a moment, eyes wondering. Hoover discovered a pair of discarded grenades, nuzzled up in a doorway. "I've got an idea." Ditching the Lancer, Hoover swooped, snatched the grenades, arming with one in each hand. A crude plan already compromised in mind.

Kennedy glanced back, his eyebrows raised.

Before he could object, Hoover said, "Cover me."

A Drone climbed out of the Hole and hissed. Hoover didn't delay a moment. Kennedy barely grasped the order in time. Hoover ignored the Drone, locking eyes on the Hole. Kennedy dropped the Locust with a quick firing sequence and suppressed them with fire.

Hoover spun the grenades in clutching fists as they neared the Hole. Kennedy shouted something as another Drone climbed out. Hoover swung a hard round kick to the Drones face, knocking it down bleeding.

It seemed like slow motion to Hoover as the grenades fell from their hold and disappeared into the misty hole. Hoover launched over the Hole and into an empty doorway and rolled. Hoover stood just in time to see the grenades deliver their goods, the Hole swelled outward and then collapsed. Hoover heard Kennedy holler something as the sharp teeth of his Lancer ground through a Drones shoulder and down the torso.

Hoover emerged from the doorway and started towards Merchant; winded.

"That's how you give 'em hell!" Merchant whooped, standing proudly. Hoover just nodded, panting. Hoover decided not to try anything risky like that again, that could have easily killed.

Kennedy jogged up to Hoover with a smile wide on his bloody face. He placed a heavy hand on Hoover's shoulder and said, "Way to go Red."

Hoover could barely manage a smile but did.

All chatter stopped as the sound of distant Ravens increased.

_Chokka-chokka-chokka. _

Merchant swore.

The Ravens came into view, gliding their way over the jagged rooftops. A pair screamed overhead as the third dipped down and leveled out.

Theta ambled onto the Raven, adrenaline shaking.

There was a single Gear standing with his hands on his hips, a helmet tucked under his arm in the bay of the Raven. He had a cleanly shaven layer of blonde hair and steel eyes. His features were sharp and patched with scars.

"Redell Hoover." He boomed over the Raven.

Hoover looked curiously into the Gear's face, trying to fit a face with a name but it never clicked. Alexander offered a large gloved hand down to Hoover. Hoover grasped it as Alexander lulled her up.

The Gear dwarfed Hoover extensively but she stood her ground, respectfully gazing into his eyes. "Yes sir." She said solemnly.

"Once we reach the base, there's... something I have to tell you." The Gear's voice rang a familiar bell in Hoover's mind that made her remember.

_Raine Ward. Major Raine Ward. _

She finally placed the name but was momentarily confused. The words shocked her. Major Ward was one of the leading COs remaining in Jacinto. Hoover knew whatever she was going to hear wasn't going to be very pleasant.


	2. Chapter 1

**1 :: Affected**

After being politely offered a drink, Red knew something had gone _wrong. _Ward had even invited her to sit – _in his office, _which bothered her more greatly. She had never been freely invited into her superior's quarters – as a matter of fact, she had never _been _in her superior's quarters.

"I'm sorry to pull you out like this." Ward said apologetically, settling into an arm chair. For quarters, his looked exceptionally nice, the furniture was finely polished and handled; it looked like there was no war happening. "After a battle isn't the most _convenient _time to say this but it's Alton."

Red leaned forward, her body tensed with concern. "Alton?" She echoed, her throat closing slightly.

Alton was her eldest brother and had stuck up for her when they were younger. He taught her how to be strong and comforted her when their parents were killed. He stood by her side when they would be harassed at the Orphanage, he could make her feel good when things were terrible. Red loved him. _He _was the reason she became a Gear.

"What happened?" Red demanded.

Ward looked sympathetically into Red's eyes as he slowly exhaled. "The Sergeant had been MIA for a total of three standard days. Just as we were about to give up the search, we found him."

"How come I wasn't notified?" Red inquired, rage boiling inside her.

"He... didn't want... you to know." Ward said reluctantly.

That brought Red back in shock.

"He didn't want you to worry." Ward said quietly.

"You're making that up." Red accused, standing up. Alton would never do that to her, he would never – No, she realized with a jolt, he _would _do that. To protect me. "Where is he?"

"In the infirmary. When we found him, we was barely alive. He died on the Raven, we couldn't have saved him. No one could have." Ward lowered his head but looked up suddenly. "I'm sorry."

"No you're not." Red whispered, spinning around.

She threw open the door and slammed it.

_Alton – he can't be dead. He can't be. _Red hoped Ward was lying but something told her that he wasn't. His tone of voice, his empathic expression. She headed hastily for the infirmary, drained.

The infirmary wasn't a place Red often visited but she knew where it was without thinking. When she entered it, she was welcomed by an aroma of unpleasant odors. Sanitizer, blood, sweat, grub guts, and soap. The smells twisted her nose but she held her breath.

She noticed a few Gears perk up at the sight of a _young, _female Gear as she strode purposefully across the infirmary. She ignored their admiring stares and recognized Alton lying on a examination table. She nearly broke as she got closer.

Suddenly, a large golden yellow Labrador Retriever intercepted her path, growling and snarling, sharp teeth bared. She gasped lightly as she realized who it was.

"Dante? Dante." She cooed, kneeling down.

Dante cocked his head, his warm chocolate eyes lightened up as he recognized a familiar face. His long pink tongue rolled out of his mouth as he seemed to almost smile.

Red stroked Dante's head and down his back.

Dante had been one of the very few dogs that hadn't resumed their recessive hostile nature. He had been a stray and Alton brought him back to base and fed him. Alton would never go anywhere without Dante. If he did, Dante would follow him protectively. Dante grew a strong bond with Alton and they were very pleased with each other.

Red stood and nervously approached the examination table. Red's stomach churned uneasily as she met the vacant gaze of Alton's glazed over hazel eyes. Red could feel her face burn as her gut grew very numb. No feeling but sadness ebbed and flowed in her body.

Alton had been very handsome thirty-six year old. He had a square-shaped face, a strong jaw, sharp chin, perfectly round eyes, and an average shaped nose. His wild red hair lay splayed on his head. He still wore his suit, which was covered in grit and dirt.

Red stroked his cold cheek, unconsciously, letting the tears come to her eyes. Dante nuzzled up against Red's legs, whining.

Alton was gone.

She let her hand drop to her side as her head fell. A hot tear streaked down her cheek. She whipped it away instantly and inhaled deeply. _Keep yourself together, you're not dead. _

But she felt as if she was. It seemed like the only remnant of her hope had been torn and thrown away like it was useless trash. No one could make up for her loss.

Red identified Alton's COG tags, hanging limply around his neck. She gingerly held them in her fingers and stared blankly at the name etched onto the oval metal piece.

SGT. MAJ. HOOVER, ALTON

She clutched the tag in her hand as she yanked it from his neck. His head swayed for a moment before remaining still. Red knelt down and tied the tag around Dante's neck, just above his green bandanna.

"Come on, boy." Red beckoned leaving Alton's dead body behind her, leaving the only one she loved behind her.

As Red entered the barracks, the feeling morphed instantly as if bringing a dark cloud in. The sharp clinking of Dante's new tag jingled as he followed her in.

The newbie, Scott Kennedy, sat on his cot in bewilderment and stared at the dog. Not far away, Alexander Capps sat cleaning the teeth of the Lancer's chainsaw intently.

"Where'd you get the dog?" Scott asked, oblivious to Red's sorrowful expression.

Red just shot his a glare and didn't answer. Scott's face screwed up as he continued to stare. Alex lifted his head. At first his expression was neutral and entertained but as he took in Red's expression, his face fell.

Red sat on her own cot and began to disassemble her own suit to clean it. "Hey, Red. Where'd you get the dog?" Alex asked.

Red saw Dante's tongue flop out of his gaping muzzle as he stared up at her wondrously.

"His name's Dante." She told them quietly as she rubbed the top of his head. "He was my – brothers." She could barely say the word.

"Your eyes are red." Alex observed.

Red turned her head right to avoid his gaze.

"What happened?" He said.

Red just shook her head and continued to disassemble. "Nothing." She gasped, as the tears welled up.

"It must be something, why are you crying then?" Scott piped.

Red halted and let the tears roll onto her cheek. She breathed unsteadily but continued to disassemble.

"Oh no." Alex's voice was thick with realization as he read her thoughts. "I'm sorry, Red."

Red just shook her head and removed all of her plates and put them in a neat stack. She placed both of her hand on either side and bent over them.

Scott opened his mouth to say something but Alex threw up a hand to stop him.

"Alton was – missing for three days. _Three. _And I didn't even - know. They found him early today barely alive." Red's voice broke several times as her fiery red hair spilled off her shoulders and surrounded her face with a wall of hair.

"He died while he was getting transported back." She whipped her eyes with her palms and drew to her full height. "Dante use to be his. Now, he's mine."

None of the men had anything to remark or utter so they merely nodded and allowed Red to clean her suit in peace without any more intrusions.


	3. Chapter 2

**2 :: Berserk**

Despite Alton's death, Red forced herself to do what was expect in an timely manner. Merchant had yet to detect any sorrow emitting from Red unless he had made a silent mental note he showed no sign of it.

Red wanted to show unlimited rage against the Locust. She wanted to kill all of them but she knew that no matter how many kills she could manage to score none would make up for the loss she suffered. She also bared in mind that she would keep her actions straight; nothing too risky or crazy.

The Raven wailed through the clear sky, hovering just above the jagged rooftops. Merchant leaned precariously out of the Raven, one hand secured on a handle.

Red kept her head down. Despite her helmet, she felt like she was exposed and valuable. She suddenly found her Lancer in her lap very interesting and stared at it, lost in trance.

Her thoughts would grind to a halt every time she thought: _He didn't want to me to know he was missing? _Half of her believed what he did was right but the other was heavily disgusted by it; how a brother so loving could keep something so vital hidden. She wondered who all knew, who knew and avoided to mention it. She knew what Alton did was right. If she had known, she would had gone after him to find him and possibly get killed. He did it because he loved her too much.

Red stumbled on her thoughts as the Raven jostled violently, Merchant almost loosing his grip. Red could hear the pilot laughing. "Hang tight, sir. Air pockets."

Merchant grumbled something and then turned to us, seated against the Raven's wall. "One of our squads, Gamma, is MIA after their comlinks were suddenly disconnected. We're going to find out what happened to their asses. We're going to be dropped off at their last known –"

The Raven veered off track, tilting at a terrifying angle. Merchant cursed as he lost his balance and slid. Alex launched forward and grasped his forearm leaving Merchant dangling freely over speeding rooftops.

Bullets sparked the Raven's hull, punching holes in it.

"Locust!" Someone screamed.

Scott staggered up and manned the attached railgun. He fired downward, spewing bullets.

Red clung onto any held down solid object and looked around hastily. Alex began heaving Merchant back on board with another fierce hail of bullets knocked the Raven off course again but this time the bullets sparked the engine. Merchant tumbled out again, Alex barely got a hold of him in time.

"The engines gone! Fu-" The pilot's screech was cut short as the bullets shattered the windshield and hit the pilot. Crimson blood exploded the interior of the cockpit.

"Shit!" Scott shouted.

Without a pilot, the Raven spun wildly around, flaming. It dipped downward and plunged toward the ground.

"Red! Help me!" Alex cried in a strained voice.

Red helped Alex hold onto Merchant as best she could but she wasn't strong enough compared to Alex. The Raven was getting closer.

"We need to jump!" Scott shouted and shoved Alex forcefully on the back. From lack of balance, Alex fell over the side yanking Red along. She closed her eyes tight and prayed she didn't splatter all over the ground. Red's grasp on Merchant released -

She met the ground – _hard. _

She slammed onto her stomach, knocking her breath out of her and then bounced onto her back. She felt something snap in her chest as she cried out. Pain ripped through her torso as she lay there motionless, gasping for air.

"Kennedy..." Merchant's raspy voice whispered over the com. "You asshole."

Red groaned and forced herself to sit up. Scott was a few meters away from Red. She wanted to punch him.

"I saved your lives." Scott grumbled staggering up. "Would you rather burst into flames?"

"Shut-up." Merchant barked. "Hoover, Capps. Respond."

Red could only moan as she shook off the pain that still welled strongly in her chest. She pressed herself against a wall for support to catch her breath.

"I'm alive." Alex grunted. "No thanks to you, Scottie."

"Enough. Regroup in the parade – Locust!" Merchant ordered.

Red found her Lancer lying on top of a mound of debris. She jogged painfully over and snatched it up. Scott found his own and we jogged for the parade.

Red and Scott had landed in a gap between two buildings and Red lightly remembered seeing a wide open area surrounded buildings of various sizes and shapes. _That _must have been the parade Merchant was talking about.

As they approached the entrance of the parade, the chatter of Lancers echoed off the buildings. She heard a deep bellow rattle her skeleton from their six. They spun around to see a pair of Boomers, cumbersome, relentless Locust that were normally heavily armed, lumber towards them.

Red automatically fired her Lancer, the bullets ate away at one of the Boomer's shoulders, causing it to slow.

The second Boomer fired it's cannon a rocket streaked from its barrel towards her. Red threw herself onto the ground and heard Scott holler, "Boomer!"

"Aw shit." Alex groan over the comlink.

Red didn't take a second thought. She pushed herself up and ran towards into the parade. Scott sprayed bullets onto the Boomers as he followed. Another rocket streaked past Red's head; she could feel the heat.

"Whoa!" She gasped, keeping her eyes straight.

A shower of noisy bullets tracked a path behind Red and Scott as they joined Merchant and Alex behind a concrete barrier.

"That's what shot us down." Merchant threw his thumb towards a Locust stationed on a railgun. "Capps and I will take care of the Boomers." He looked at Scott. "You and Hoover take care of the grubs and that railgun. Go!"

Red and Scott met eyes for a beat before taking off towards the railgun. Red slammed up against a crate and peeked around and fired. A Locust seeking cover was shot down to its knees before she finished it off with another burst.

A rocket from the Boomers exploded close to Scott and tossed him up and over his cover. "Dammit! I thought _you _were taking care of the Boomers!" Scott yelled.

"It ain't as easy as it sounds!" Merchant returned hastily.

Red decided to move up. Scott regathered himself and moved forward. Soon, her and Scott cleared an open path toward the railgun.

"Whew! One Boomer down!" Alex cried out.

"Red! Distract the railgun guy so I can pick him off." Scott said. Before she could interfere with his plans, he disappeared around their cover. She grunted irritated and resumed to fire at grub, not bullets running lower and lower.

Ten seconds ticked by and Red flipped down to reload. "Hurry up!" She screamed and peered back up in time to see the grubs head exploded into a bloody burst of brains and bones. Red traced the origin of the shot and saw Scott crouched down with a sniper rifle in hand.

Red gave him a thumbs up. He returned it.

"Boomers down." Merchant reported. "Regroup."

As they reached one another to discuss further movements, the ground trembled and shook. They shouldered their rifles and searched for the source. A thunderous crack sounded to their right as a Emergence Hole exploded.

"Get down!" Merchant shouted. We scattered and took cover as the grubs crawled out.

Alex was panting beside me as he reloaded his Lancer, a puff of heat releasing from rifle. Red fired at the grubs creeping out of the Hole, dropping as many as she could. She made a mental note that her ammo was running low.

"_Control to Theta. Respond. Theta, do you respond, over._"

The voice surprised all of us. We exhaled in unison.

"This is Theta, Control. Our Raven was shot down. Pilot's KIA." Merchant reported, his Lancer rattling his voice.

The voice didn't return for a beat, which scared me for a moment. "_Acknowledged, Theta. Proceed three-hundred, fourteen meters due north of your current position. Gamma's last known location was there._"

"Yeah, I got it." Merchant responded, annoyed.

Suddenly the Hole collapsed inward and silence descended upon us all, the only sound was an occasion pop and our heavy breathing.

"Let's go." Merchant urged. "Before the grubs decided they want a rematch."

Jacinto was _silent. _No birds, animals, or insects were roaming around. No movement at all, just silence and utter stillness. Jacinto was crumbling into ruins, if not already ruins. Civilians – Stranded were hiding out around Jacinto is small gangs and settlements with make-shift order. The Stranded hated the Gears guts and found no appreciation into all the killing they do. The Gears received all the supplies and food that the Stranded couldn't have and they found it unfair. And it was. Very unfair but Gears needed it more than those skimpy Stranded did, they weren't the ones risking their necks every second of the day and for what? Some of them think we were fighting for their sake. No, Gears fight mankind's general existence on Sera.

Glass and debris crunched under Theta's boots as they neared Gamma's last known location. They hadn't spoken, they listened for any sound that could possibly lead to an attack. But it was just silent. _Silent. _

They were walking in a square-shaped formation underneath a highway when a thunderous shriek reverberated from the opposite end. Red's heart nearly stopped as she realized what it was.

Theta scattered, searching desperately for hiding spots. Red and Alex scurried into a nearby building and hid underneath the empty window sills.

"What the hell is that?" Scott cried.

Merchant shushed him but it was too late. It charged at them with blinding speed. Merchant and Scott leapt out of its path and sought knew cover.

"A Berserker. Now shut up!" Merchant whispered in the comlink as they slid into the building as well.

Bersekers were damn ugly and down-right scary. Being the female Locusts, they were very large and had a full body of heavy muscles. Her skin was a twisted array of tan veins, gasps, and bumps. She threw her head back and sniffed the air intently.

"We need to move." Merchant whispered. "Stay as quite as you can. She's blind but has the best damn smell and hearing. Continue towards to Gamma's LKL, quietly."

As his voice rung in Red's ears, she could barely control her hammering heart. She feared the Berserker could hear her. Merchant moved quietly in a crouched position and moved further inward.

There was a staircase in the center of the room and on either side were passageways leading into darkness.

Merchant went first down the right passageway followed by Alex, Red, and Scott –

_Crack!_

Scott gasped and the Berserker's bellow shot in their direction. Adrenaline shot through Red as she sprinted forward, Merchant was far ahead. She could hear the Berserker crash through the front wall and follow our footsteps. Merchant turned left abruptly and sprinted farther into the house. Red listened hard for Scott and Alex's breaths behind her.

Merchant stopped, throwing an arm out.

They all stopped and listened.

Red could feel the floorboards beneath her boots rumble as the Bersekers using her only senses to track them, wobbled her way around.

"We _need _to get out of here. Follow me." Merchant's hushed voice said over the comlink. He eased forward. "And... who stepped on that?"

"Sorry, sir." Scott.

"Dammit, Kennedy!"

Red just shook her head.

Merchant turned into another room and pointed at an open doorway. Red felt a rush of relief wash through her as she entered the room. But the floor creaked and squeezed. They all cringed with every –

The Berserker found them and charged down the hallway. Scott shoved them all forward and they fell in a heap.

"Get up!" Merchant urged.

The Berserker spun around and ambled into the room. The floor boards creaked with distress and – snapped!

The next thing Red knew she was falling, her screams echoing in her helmet. Darkness enveloped the others, cloaking them. She could hear their screams but not see them.

She felt the air gush up around her as the small dot of light grew smaller and smaller. She skid down the side of the hole and continue to fall into nothingness.

She panicked as the screams of the others were slowly diminishing and them lapsing into silence.

The only sound were her own screams as she vanished further into the abyssal pit.


	4. Chapter 3

**3 :: Disorientation**

Red's eyes snapped open to blackness that frightened her. The silver moonlight streamed into the lace curtained windows on both sides of her bed. The cold winter night had a bitter coldness that ached for warmth. She shivered under her thin sheets and pulled them tighter around her neck.

The Girls Dormitory was filled with the soft humming and snoring of girls of various ages all sleeping as one. Red looked at the bed beside hers. The girl sniffed and rolled onto her opposite side.

No one was allowed to awake during this time of night but Red deeply desired to see her brother, Alton. She tossed her sheets off of herself and put on her thin robe and slippers. She silently routed her way around the beds to the door, remembering the creaking floorboard just past the third bed. The cold nipped at her exposed nose and ears as she quietly stole across the room. She softly eased the large dormitory door open and slipped out, closing it behind her. The Orphanage wasn't heated during the nights and they left the windows open for arctic breezes to roll in.

Red rubbed her arms and continued to the Boys Dormitory which was just down the hallway and down the spiraling stairs. She crept down the hallway, listening for the slightest sound that could result in her getting caught. She reached the spiral staircase and ran lightly down knowing no one could hear her beyond that point.

Red yanked open the Boys Dormitory's doors and entered. The Girls and Boys Dormitory looked relatively the same but they were adorned with either girl decorations or visa versa. She crawled up the steps that lead to the long rows of beds.

_Bed 023, _Red thought scanning the numbers above the beds. There were many boys of different ages but none were awake, all sleeping soundly.

"Red?"

Alton's voice startled her. She jumped up and gasped quietly. She spun to see him sat up in his bed, staring down at her with astonished eyes, the silver moonlight glinting off his bare arms.

"What are you doing?" He whispered, leaning forward for a closer examination.

"I got scared and cold." Red said, climbing into his bed. She snuggled up against him, his warm body felt very pleasing. Alton wrapped his arm around his six-year-old sister and laughed.

He laid back down and pulled the sheets around both of them. "You know, Red. I'm going to escape from here."

"Escape!" Red exclaimed gaping. "How?"

"I'll find away, Red. I know I will." His smile luminated in the moonlight.

"But... I would miss you too much." Hot tears seethed out of her tired eyes.

"Oh, I'm not escaping any time soon. I'll wait until I'm older – much older." Alton assured Red.

"How old?" Red questioned anxiously.

Alton thought for a moment, doing the math mentally. "Five years." He told her. "I'll be nineteen by then. You'll be eleven. I'll run off to become a Gear."

Red only knew vacantly of these "Gears". "What's a Gear?" Red inquired quietly.

"They're soldiers. I remember Daddy talking about them. Telling these cool, inspirational stories about them. I've always wanted to become one." Alton told his eager sister.

Red was in awe at her brother's bravery and determination but she didn't want him to leave. "But how can you protect me?"

Alton seemed shocked by her words. He gave her an empathic stare before replying carefully, "You're a strong girl, Red and you can protect yourself... You just have to try."

"But how?"

Red was often harassed and bullied throughout the day by older girls for silly things Red didn't know they cared so much about. She would get so overwhelmed but Alton would come and defend her. The girls would always grumble off leaving the two in utter victory. But with him gone, she would be vulnerable. The girls would bully her and she could do nothing about it.

"Learn from me." Alton smiled and closed his eyes.

Red cried herself to sleep, falling into a deep, warm sleep.

The crisp spring air was dancing with the sweet aroma of a million different flowers all astonishing Red's senses with exploding scents. The frigid breeze whispered by rustling the lush green trees heavy foliage and making Red shiver. She loved spring. Things flourished and renewed in spring and she loved the smells and sights.

The extensive courtyard of the sprawling Orphanage was buzzing with the sound of excited children playing games and talking vigorously to one another.

Red sat on a concrete bench admiring the scenery when she spotted a pair of snooty, blonde girls making their way towards her, eyes locked.

Fear welled up in Red's chest as she recognized them instantly.

_Sharon and Joyce. _Red thought, dreadfully.

Part of her wanted to run away and find Alton but the other told her to stay put and defend herself on her own. Sharon and Joyce made frequent rounds to bully Red on a regular basis, which made Red loath the time she wasn't busy with studies.

"Well, hello Redell." Sharon spat Red's name with high acidity.

Red made a small gesture of acknowledgement. _Just keep your mouth shut and they'll go away._ It was one of the tips Alton had told her.

"I said, _Hello Ree-dell._" Joyce hissed, leaning forward slightly. "Are you even alive, bitch."

The word rung in Red's mind like an incessant bell. A small spark lit within her. "Please go away. I'm trying to admire the trees."

_Ask them nicely to leave you alone. _

Sharon and Joyce looked at each and snorted a hysterical laugh. " 'Admiring the trees'? My ass!"

"Can you _please _leave?" Red lifted her head and clamped down onto her bottom lip to keep a scared face away.

_Be more forceful if they refuse to leave. _

Sharon and Joyce just continued to laugh hysterically like some inside joke had taken place.

"Go away!"

But they continued to laugh, ignoring her pleading.

"Sharon. Joyce."

The voice made Red cry out. She pivoted around to see Alton towering over her, arms folded neatly over his chest. "Is there a problem?"

His handsome features softened the girl's faces but they were cold and protective.

"Oh no, Al. Not at all." Joyce assured innocently.

"They're lying." Red whispered, feeling her confidence boost.

"Why are you _harassing _my little sister then?" Alton countered with an arched eyebrow.

The girls were drawn back, their faces contorted with fake confusion. "Harassing? We weren't harassing -"

Anger flared deep within Red.

"Yes, you were, don't lie to my big brother to try to get away with it. You might be pretty and he's pretty too. But he has something you don't. He's smart and you're just dumb, old girls looking for someone to feast off of!"

Red had never spoken so harshly before to anyone. The courtyard descended into silence as Red's anger dissolved as quickly as it came.

"You'd better leave before I start throwing words of my own." Alton warned. The girls spun around, their blonde hair swirling and stormed off.

Red flushed and suddenly felt very ashamed. She rarely used harsh language.

"Don't feel ashamed, Red." Alton assured placing his warm hand on her shoulder. "You had ever right to say those things."

"But I can't help feeling bad." Red said hushed.

"You stood up for yourself and it will feel that way until you become more comfortable. Know you boundaries, Red and when to protect yourself and when not to."

"Now do I know?"

"There's a certain... feeling. You'll know when you have to protect yourself."

When Red looked up to stare into her brother's eyes, his face was blotted out with a black void. She tore her hand from his grasp and shrieked. His skin turned into grey stone and collapsed, surrounding her in shards. Then she fell –

And screamed.

Red jerked from unconsciousness, panting. No light met her eyes, it seemed like she hadn't opened her eyes. Her heart hammered in her chest as she rolled onto her stomach. Her back was incredibly sore and achy. Her palms met cold, hard stone and was chilled.

Red stood and frantically searched her waist for a light. When her fingers brushed against it, she snatched it and flicked it on. The instant light temporally blinded her.

She was surrounded by black rocks and a hollow, airy sounded echoed. She panned the light around to scan around; there was a narrow hallway ahead, behind and around her were walls. She tilted her head and spotted a small dot of light above her and her heart beat increased as did her breathing.

Red clipped her light onto her waist and threw herself up. She caught the end of a long tunnel stretching above her and dug her fingers into the dirt. She clutched her harder and hefted herself up. The dirt crumbled between her fingers and she fell onto her back, knocking the air from her lungs.

_It's too steep. Where is everyone? _She wondered.

She plucked her light from her waist and scanned it around again. She pushed herself up and slowly strode down the hallway before her.

"Control, this is Private Redell Hoover, over. Respond." Red tried in the comlink but only received a hissing fit of static. "Control! Respond!" Another fit.

Red groaned loudly. "Theta, this is Redell Hoover. If any of you can hear me, respond."

As the silence crept on, the more anxious she got. She worried if they had killed while tumbling down that hole – Her thoughts wondered to _who _made that hole. Man-made? Locust-made? She didn't know.

"Re..." The static sputtered as the raspy voice was suffocated in static. She tried to place the small sliver of voice but couldn't.

"Speak up." Red's pace quickened, the end of the tunnel was luminated by a soft, gold glow that was very welcoming.

"Red. This is Scott." The voice was scattered by static but it was clearly Scott.

"Scottie!" Red cried happily. "Where are you?"

"I – don't know." Scott moaned. "My ankle -"

"Can you hit something?" Red knew that her voice traveled far in the echoy place and knew the slightest sound would travel a considerable distance.

"I'll – try."

Red halted and listened hard for the slightest sound.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the soft tapping of rock against rock slithered its way to her ears. She ran out of the hallway and emerged into a cavern with towering ceilings and stalagmites and tights hanging from the ceiling and jutting from the ground. A deep, ravine swooped down below the ledge she stood on and a thick, sparkling, yellow liquid sloshed in it. There were flickering lights along the walls and hand-railings.

_A mine? _

"Do it again." Red urged.

The tapping was louder this time and she knew exactly where it was coming from. She turned left and hurried down the narrow ledge. "I'm coming, Scott."


	5. Chapter 4

**4 :: Home **

_Tap-Tap-Tap!_

Red skid on the loose stones and whirled to her left into a low passageway. She crouched down and sprinted down it, her footsteps echoing off the close walls, and her breath billowing in puffs as the ice became more icy.

There was a wide exit and she stumbled out. A loud moan snagged her attention and she spun to the source.

"Scottie..." Red muttered.

He was slouched up against the curved wall in a rather uncomfortable position and his leg was splattered in crimson blood.

She rushed to his aid, scrambling to get her light. She flicked it on and examined him. "Are you all right?" She asked.

Scott nodded quickly and licked his lips. "Yeah." He groaned and sat up straighter. "My ankles – broken. I'm sure of it. I heard it snap when I fell." He sluggishly jabbed his finger upward. Red looked up to clarify his claim but only saw blackness. His eyes squinted at her in the dark. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know." She whispered, letting her head fall. But she lifted it up quickly. "We need to move you and find out what kind of hellhole this is." She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and lulled him up. He grunted.

"Can you walk on it at all?" She questioned staring forward.

"Barely." He murmured.

Red and Scott stumbled back through the low passageway. She could feel her back beginning to ache and strain from the wait and lack of rest but she pushed forward.

Red staggered out of the passageway dragging Scott along. She managed a look behind her. But she decided to north, she presumed. The narrow ledge travel on and disappeared into darkness. The light produced from the torches on the walls didn't extend far enough to see far up or far down. She knew she was in a cave, the echoy silence was obvious.

"Where the hell are we?" Red asked, whispered.

"From the looks – of it." Scott strained to scan the environment. "A mine." His face lightened with realization. "The mines under Jacinto!"

"That far down?" Red reckoned with a dry mouth.

Scott nodded. "That's Imulsion. Very valuable. There has to be rigs down here. It's like oil!"

A small flame of hope flickered inside Red as she knew that there had to be miners for the rigs.

"Could there be miners?" Red reasoned.

Scott shrugged painfully. "I'm not sure. The mining really started to decreasing as the war started; but that was years ago. There _might _be. I'm not completely guaranteeing though."

A "might" was good enough for Red. They teetered down the ledge, gripping onto the railings tightly. "You think that was a Locust made tunnel?"

"Most likely. We got separated because many tunnels fed off of one main tunnel. It's a design the Locust would consider." Red was impressed, she didn't know Scott – the _newbie _knew so much or had an intelligent brain hidden among many mistakes.

"Didn't know you were so smart." Red muttered.

"It's more of common sense than – " He grabbed a handful of Red's suit and repositioned himself. "intelligence."

Red only nodded and continued on.

The ledge stretched on and on and didn't seem to have an end. The Impulsion churned and flowed beneath the ledge snaking around rocks. The rivets branches off and oozed and cascaded into empty crevices and cracks to further extend the rivets. The mine had high ceilings, spiked with precarious stalagmites that were either thin and slender or thick and dense. The constant _drip-drip-drip _of water smacking into pools and rock echoed through out the mine and the frigid temperature made Red shiver.

"Do you know where the others are?" Scott asked suddenly.

Red's throat tightened. No, she didn't know, not even the slightest. For a moment, Red felt like a mother and Scott was her child. Asking her humbly. She shook her head. "I have no clue."

"I wasn't far away from where you landed. The others shouldn't be far either." Scott had a point.

"Yeah. They could be." Red decided to try the radio. "Sarge. Alex. If you can hear this, respond immediately."

Red wasn't expecting to get a reply because, just like Scott they could have bee wounded; dead even. She just hoped that it weren't true.

Red and Scott continued to walk, Red's aches and pains becoming more intense and irritating. But the indescribable cold feeling of being utterly alone and hopeless sunk farther into her gut as they trudged on. She deeply desired to hear a noise that might signal to whereabouts of Merchant or Alex but she never received on.

Then, it appeared over the rise of rocks, peering over at them. Red felt Scott loosen his grip and his body relax. "Oh thank God." He breathed, titling his head back. Hope frothed inside Red's tense stomach and pinged with pain. She let an airy laugh escape her lips.

A rig, sprawling and ponderous, expanded before them as they quickened their pace. The rig was positioned up against a rocky wall of the cavern, where Imulsion poured out of holes punched into it. It gushed over ledges in steady streams and emptied into larger pools before carrying on a long, endless ebb. The rig was a perplexing array of metal pipes, towers, and steel plating.

Red's thoughts were racing faster and faster. She assumed there had to be miners but the obvious fact that they were gone darkened her hopes. Then she remembered, _There has to be radios, first aid! _Some of their prayers would be answer; repair and a way out; hopefully.

Red scanned the colossus rig, searching for its entrance. The rig was tremendously large up close and much more imitating. She listened for footsteps, movement, or even voices but only hear the wind and trickling water.

"How the hell do you get into this place?" Red muttered, feeling like Scott had gained considerable weight abruptly.

"An entrance..." Scott answered sourly.

"No, shit. But _where _is it?"

Scott shrugged. Red groaned and resumed her search. After what seemed like hours, she found it hidden among many pipes. "Looks like they don't usually have visitors." Scott had mentioned; Red silently agreed.

Red gingerly leaned Scott against the metal railing while she tried to figure out the door. The door looked heavy and extended three feet above her head. She hunted for the switch and found it was shattered. She nudged the door with her boot before giving it a strong kick.

The door didn't even ease. The shock shot up her leg and reverberated through her torso. She swore and stumbled back. "It's locked." She concluded.

"Too bad Jack isn't anywhere around." Scott grumbled.

Red wasn't going to be defeated just yet. She held her hand up. "Wait here. I'm gonna get a look around."

"Yeah, leave me alone with the creepy crawlers." Scott called as she departed. Red made a _ffff _sound. There were probably just spiders and weird creatures that lurked around, _maybe _a rat but nothing that would kill him.

Red walked around the entire rig and found no other entrance. Not even a window. She stepped over a large, hollow aluminum pipe connected to the rig and an idea sparked in her mind. She swooped over and ripped the pipe from the rig's side and peered it. It was dark and musty. She shined her light in and decided to suck it up and crawl in. She shoved her light into her mouth and ducked in. The pipe was _just _large enough to allow her to pass through only to leave a few scraps in return.

The pipe was very hot compared to the cold temperature of the mine. Sweat droplets began to form on her forehead as she crawled farther in on her stomach. She noticed it was gradually getting smaller and began to panic. She had never known herself to get frantic with claustrophobia before but under the current circumstances, she had to cope with it.

Her light flashed over a flimsy aluminum wall that she punched without hesitation. The wall crumbled around her fist as she tore her way out. Red got to her knees and looked around, catching her breath.

It was a ventilation shaft she came through, she realized as she spotted a vent not to far away form the place she emerged from. Red arrived in a hallway, facing a door. To both of her flanks, there were open rooms. Considering the pipes location and headed right towards the general direction of the front door.

The rig wasn't as hot as the shaft was but it was humid. The air conditions wasn't working – or being used – so she reckoned no one was home. Nor was the lighting working, the rig was dark and the shadows were long and sharp. She could hear claws every once in a while on the floor above her and even the wind rattle the empty pipes.

Red came to the front door and knocked on it. She could hear Scott whistling just outside. She could faintly hear a cry from Scott. She laughed and hit the activation panel. The door slid open and the not-so-happy Scott stood in the doorway, frowning.

"Ha-ha. Very funny." Scott said solemnly.

"I'm just playing with you, Scottie." Red assured him with a laugh. Scott didn't return one. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder again and they began their exploration.

"How'd you get in?" Scott asked.

"Ventilation shaft." Red answered.

"Was it big enough?"

"Barely. Speaking of which, the air conditioning isn't working and I've heard absolutely nothing. No ones home."

Scott clicked his tongue. "Ain't that a bitch." He gasped as Red hefted him onto the first step of a staircase.

"Kind of is." Red murmured.

"But there had to have been miners here at one time. I'm sure there's radios here, better ones."

"No promises though," Red objected. "The civvies don't have the best technology. It can't match up to the COG's."

Scott agreed.

The two finally reached a room filled with communication, monitoring, and radar consoles. They were out-of-date but weren't too shabby. Scott seemed to lighten up. "I can figure out the radios." He assured her.

Red gave him a strange look.

Scott found it offensive. "I'm not some shitty newbie. Put me down."

A tiny flame ignited inside Red but it was quickly extinguished. She released his grip on her. He clattered to the ground in a heap. Scott cried out in pain.

"Oops." Red gasped sarcastically, picking him up from the floor. "You said put me down."

"Onto a chair, you asshole!" Scott cried.

Red just laughed and shook off the offensive name. She lulled him onto a chair. He turned toward the consoles and studied the surface. "Now," Scott exhaled and removed his helmet. He placed it onto the console beside him and ran his gloved hand over his shaved head. "This is pretty low-tech and I'm quite familiar with these controls. They appear -"

Red interrupted him. "I'm gonna go find a first aid kit." And with that, she disappeared out the door they entered.

Red wound through the rig, hunting for a first aid kit somewhere on the walls. The rig was much larger inside than it looked. She felt lost for a moment until she saw a matte white box on the wall with red, illegible letters on it. Excitement whirled through her. She scratched away the grit and dust and it read: FIRST AID.

"Yes!" Red cheered and ripped it off the wall. She made her way back to the radio room, more smoothly.

Scott was furiously typing at the keyboard and intently watching fifty screens at once.

"I've got the radio online but its range doesn't go far." He spun around in the chair to face her.

Red held up the kit in victory and settled down next to the console to treat his ankle. Red couldn't see crap through her helmet and tore it off her head. Her fiery red hair fell onto her shoulders and was plastered the back of her neck. She ignored it and got to work; thanking herself for listening in the First Aid seminars.

"How far _does _it go?" Red asked as she sanitized his ankle and wiped it clean of dry blood.

"Just a few miles, these things are weak. I'll run through the channels and try to contact any other rigs that may be online." Scott muttered as he snapped a pair of headphones onto his head.

Red listened for half an hour as he tried to contact any of the rigs, but got no replies.

But, as Red finished up the dressing on his ankle. He suddenly jerked and winced. Red's hand recoiled instinctively, as if she had touched his raw wound. He yanked the headphones off of his head and threw them aside. His hands shot up to his ears as he held them.

"Shit!" He shouted.

"Sorry!" Red cried.

"No, no." He waved at her as he cocked his head. "It wasn't you. I was just about to go to the rig closest to ours when the channel _exploded _with static."

Red felt happier that she hadn't hurt him but then found it strange for a moment. She carried on her business and began to construct a splint. "I don't have any ice for the swelling so we'll have to wait until it goes down."

Scott nodded automatically, as if not listening to what she said. "That was the last and all were duds. I think we're stranded here until... we figure so way out."

"Great..." Red cheered sarcastically. "This is perfect." Red knew that they were already screwed from the started, it might have been Scott's fault for stepping no that shard of glass or Merchant's for leading us into that room. Red didn't know who to blame. She banished the thought from her mind and busied herself with Scott's ankle.

"God it's hot in here." Scott remarked. "Might as well make this place habitable if we're stuck here for a while. First on my to-do list; _Fix the Air Conditioning._"


	6. Chapter 5

**5 :: Nightmare **

"It might take a couple of days to get up and running." Scott declared, kneeling down to closely examine the tore ventilation pipe. "No thanks to you."

"At least I got us in here!" Red object defensively, folding her arms over her chest. "You should be thanking me."

Scott just sneered and continued to examine it. An awkward silence lapsed between the two, leaving Red standing watching Scott look at something. He struggled up to his full height, grasping onto the makeshift crutch for support. He staggered over to a box bolted onto the wall and popped the lid off. Inside was a perplexing concoction of red, blue, and even yellow wires feeding off of each other like veins. Scott's jaw clenched. "Yeah, a couple of days."

"I'm going to check out the basement." Red said, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder.

Scott's face contorted with a gape as his head spun. "There's a basement?"

Red nodded gravely. "Wanna come?"

Scott stuttered a moment. "No thanks." His eyes were wide with fear that made Red smile slyly.

"Are you – _scared_?" Red chuckled. She thought it was funny that a tough Gear would be afraid of a _basement_.

"I have a thing for spiders." Scott mumbled, flushing.

Red couldn't help but laugh at the irony. She spun on her heels and ambled off to find a passageway down, continuing to laugh.

She wondered through the rig checking in every room. From seeing multiple rooms full of furniture and undisturbed, she began to have the unsettling feeling that the miners just _left. _Threw down what they were doing and bolted. Red shook her head. _No – no. The war's getting to you. Why would they do that? A leak? Probably. _

But the thought an annoying itch in the back of her skull. The war had affected everyone, whether they were part of the cause or not. The more the war stretched on, the more Red often found herself tipping over to the pessimistic side of her mind when considering things.

Red found a narrow, metal staircase leading downward to the lower level. She silently rejoiced and flicked on her light. The white light glinted off the metal steps and into the black empty blackness below. She trotted down the steps, her boots clanking loudly against them. Red suddenly shivered as she was enveloped with darkness.

_C'mon, Red. You're not afraid of the dark. There's nothing down here that'll hurt you. _

The words sounded assuring but didn't seem to encourage her much. She forced herself to keep the light eye level so she could spot anything that moved or got her attention.

She shined the light around scanning her surroundings, concluding that this _was _the basement.

The room had a rectangular design and there was boxes stacked together all around the room and useless equipment lying scattered on the floor. To her right there was a pair of large, chrome tanks pushed up against the wall and thick pipes leading to a cumbersome pump. The pump jack had an open stream of Imulsion flowing beside it giving the room a faint yellowish glow. It then disappeared into pipes that sprawled across the walls, ceiling, and floor.

Red kept the light shined downward so she could keep her footing in check. This room was very hazardous to walk through. She approached to tanks and tapped her knuckle on its shiny exterior. The sound was muffled and didn't echoed. There must have been Imulsion inside.

That supported her claim even more.

_Maybe they did just _leave.

The pump jack wasn't pumping but there still was Imulsion in the pipes and tanks. That was a lot for Red to swallow. She pushed that aside and headed the opposite direction.

Red wanted to find some decent weapons to keep her conscience from going nuts. Red always preferred to have a firearm within grasp. The war made her paranoid, she had to expect an attack at any moment, get called into action at any moment: expect the worst. It was the only way you could stay alert after such a long while; to remain _ready. _

And to find food, if there was any.

The opposite side of the basement didn't offer much to look at. The boxes were all empty and the computer at a cluttered desk was fried.

Just as Red decided to make her way back to Scott, her foot catch something. It snapped and she flung forward, crashing into the wall. Red just hatedthe Gear armour, she felt so blocky and tank-like in it. She _hated_ it.

"What the hell was that!" Scott demanded over the comlink.

Red regained her footing irritated and searched for what she had snagged her foot on, gritting her teeth. She was on edge, exhausted and hungry. She groaned in defeat when she couldn't seem to find what she had caught.

"Red?"

"What?" She hissed.

"What-was-that."

"Me, asshole."

"You _that _heavy?" Scott chuckled.

"Shut the hell up, Scott." Red growled.

"Whoa – Whoa. Reddie, didn't mean to get ya pissed. I'm just joking." Scott laughed and Red found no humour in his words. "What'cha finding down there?"

If Scott was going to give Red shit, she was going to deliver the same back to him. "You know, lots of _spiders_ and rats."

"Ha, very funny. Now, what's _really _down there?" Scott's voice darkened.

"Nothing." She said, reviewing her surroundings. "But Scott, I'm getting the feeling that there once was miners here and then they just left."

"Recently?"

"I don't know. But from the looks of things, they must have just dropped everything they were doing and ran." Red explained.

"What things?" From the tone in Scott's voice, she could tell he wasn't buying what she was selling.

"Most of the rooms I've checked out are pretty much undisturbed besides a few things on the ground. And down there there's a pump jack, which isn't working and pipes _and _tanks full of Imulsion."

Scott paused a long moment, chewing on the information. "I wouldn't get all paranoid, besides this place is already creepy enough. Get what you need and come back up."

Red smiled slyly. "What are you getting lonely?"

Scott _ffff_ed. "Not for the reason you think. I have a weird feeling about this place."

Red left her hand fall to her side as the sound of grinding rock made her turn. The wall beside her shifted and moved revealing a passageway. _This place is full of mysteries. _She thought as her light flooded into the passageway.

As far as her light shined, she could see nothing. So, she scrambled in swatting cobwebs away from her face and peeling back the ones that already stuck as she crawled through. Her head scrapped the top of the passage and she wasn't very tall. She always stood a head shorter than the rest of Theta, leaving a gape in our ranks. She assumed whoever made it wasn't including a Gear in the design.

The passageway ended abruptly causing Red to panic. She whipped around to be sure the door she entered from what's shut – it wasn't. She exhaled and searched the wall. Her hand slid across a particular section of the metal and a small box with a screen a couple inches long popped out just below her head. She jumped.

The screen lit up a bright neon blue blinding her for a moment. She blinked and squinted at the small words that etched across it.

"Scan... tags?"

What tags?

Then she knew. _My COG tags. _

She dug her hand into her collar plate and yanked her tags free. There was a thin oval shaped and a gear shaped. The oval read: HOOVER, REDELL. She always wondered why her rank was never on there.

Red sheepishly hovered the tag over the screen and a scanner scanned it. Maybe this _was _COG made, which only left Red with more unanswered questions. The end of the passageway split down the middle allowing her to enter. She stepped in and found the ceiling was higher. She scanned the room with her light and found overhanging lights from the ceiling. She found the switches and flipped them.

The room sprung to life with brilliant white light. Once her eyes adjusted, she smiled fiendishly and laughed with pleasure.

There were racks covering the walls loaded with weapons of a great variety, boxes upon _boxes _of ammunition not too far away and lots of dry rations.

"Scottie," Red said. "I'm gonna need some help with all this stuff."

Red felt so much better now that her stomach wasn't aching and she had a trustworthy weapon within reach. All she needed now was a couple hours of sleep and she couldn't tackle anything; anything being a nasty old mine.

"But don't youthink it's just a _little _strange that there would be a cache of weapons here that needed Gear clarification?" Scott had a extremely good point and Red admitted that it did leave an awkward taste in her mouth.

"As long as I'm happy and have a gun, I'm good. I don't worry about where the stuff I use comes from either." Red remarked then thought quickly. "We'll take shifts with the sleep. I call dibs."

Scott gawked at Red with impatience. "What?"

"The expression, 'Ladies first' still applies to us even in a shit hole like this." Red answered and got up from the chair she sat in. "We get two hours of sleep each; it'll be enough for now. Don't eat all the rations at one time either. Remember: We're still looking for Alex and Merchant and they're gonna be hungry if we find them. Even dead." Red paused before finishing to let that sink in but decided not to say anything more. She spun on her heels, snatched a fully loaded Lancer from a console and walked towards their designated "barracks".

Red felt suddenly exposed and vulnerable as she exited the relatively safe sanctuary of the Control Room. She decided that would be the best to call it.

She reckoned a little civilization and order in a damned hole like this would get them farther than turning their backs on each other.

The miners had to sleep too and Red had previously dragged some empty cots into a room and referred to it as the barracks. The barracks was quite crowded since it was already small and four cots occupied its once empty space. She didn't mind the crowded room and often found herself pledged with agoraphobia.

She settled onto a cot in the corner of the room and laid her Lancer over her belly. She stared up at the ceiling, listening to her slow inhales and exhales until boredom brought sleep.

Red awoke with a start as the sharp sound of a pistol rang through the hollow rig. Red jolted, senses already, Lancer already in her hands. She rushed out of the barracks and to the Control Room.

_That was from the Control Room! _Red thought, adrenaline bursting through her. She sprinted down the abandoned hallways and crashed into the Control Room, finger already on the trigger.

She felt the tip of her boot nudge something solid. She looked down and stepped backward.

There lay a bleeding, dead corpse of a _Locust. _

Devastation surged through Red filling her with grief and worry. Scott was braced in his chair, eyes wide and brimmed with red, hand shaking as a wisp of smoke wafted from the tip of the stubby pistol he held.

"Maybe there's a reason the miners left." Scott panted, straightening up in his chair.

Red exhaled to steady herself. She couldn't believe it. The grubs were everywhere. She didn't know there were any down here.

"What the hell happened." Red demanded dryly.

"I'm just sitting her manning the radios when this bastard comes trudging in. Almost causally." Scott swallowed loudly before continuing. "Like he wasn't expecting anyone to be in here. Do you think there's more?"

Red shook her head and licked her dry lips. "I don't know." She croaked. She hadn't received enough sleep and it left her groggily and cranky. "But God have mercy on us, I hope not."

Scott's teeth sunk into his lower lip as he stared off aimlessly. Red slung her Lancer over her shoulder and grabbed onto the grubs armour and began to take the corpse away. "Keep – manning – the radios." She grunted. Grubs were damn heavy. She decided to throw him into the basement to rot, she was too weak at the moment to do anything with him.

As Red kicked the corpse down the stairs, it's head sickishly bouncing off each step –

_Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump... _

Red slowly titled her head up to look up into the ceiling; where the sound was originating from. Her throat suddenly when dry with fear. She pressed her comlink farther into her ear. "You hear that, Scottie?" She whispered.

"Yeah, and I ain't liking it." Scott replied hushed.

"I'm gonna check it out."

Red ran to the upper level as quietly as she could manage and caught a glimpse of something huge and grey lumbering down a hallway effortlessly kicking things aside.

Red's eyes widened and her heart began to hammer. She rushed behind a wall for cover and her breath quickened. _Shit, shit, shit, shit. This isn't happening. This _isn't _happening! _

"We got Boomers." Red's whispered seemed like a shout to her. She hoped dearly the Boomer didn't hear her quick breaths.

"Goddammit." Scott swore. "Are there any drones?"

Red took a risky peek over the side of the wall and saw the Boomer trifling through a room, its Boomshot in its large fist. Then more heavy footsteps emerged from the place she entered and coming towards her!

Her mind frenzied she sought new cover and hid in the shadows of the hallway across. "Yep, drones too."

"What else, a Corpser?" Scott groaned. "We're screwed, Red. _We're screwed._"

"No, we're not." Red felt the anger rush into her with a warm sensation starting from her fact and cascading down her body. "I think they're looking for something."

"Yeah, why don't you help them? I'm sure they could use the help. When you figure out a negotiation for them not to kill us. _Please _let me know."

Red wasn't appreciating Scott hissing sarcasm but she knew she was screwed. A screwed, pissed off girl was never a pretty girl but she didn't give a damn. This was war. Red stopped caring a long time ago about those type of things.

She steadied her breathing and pulled herself together. _These aren't the bullies your use to. _The words surprised Red because she could clearly hear Alton saying them. She shook her head. This place was already getting to her head and she had only been there for a couple of hours. _You can't negotiate. Kill them before they kill you. _That didn't sound like anyone she knew of.

A slow beeping sound made her jerk and her heart beat increased to a violent drumming. The beeping was getting more rapid and louder too. A drone turned the corner and an instrument in his hand beeped rapidly. He was merely a meter away.

Red tensed and revved her chainsaw. The sound sent a thrill of adrenaline through her as the teeth of her Lancer grinded through muscle and bone. The grub convulsed violently beneath but she didn't stop. She sliced his torso, blood splattered all over her face and armour. The grub collapsed in a bloodied heap, the instrument still beeping. She crushed it underneath her boot and wiped her face with her arm.

She could hear the heavy approaching footsteps of more Locust and she aimed so when they turned the corner she could send them to kingdom come. Another drone came and she fired short controlled bursts into his face and shoulder. The drone smacked up against the wall, spraying deep red blood. She finished him off with a burst and jogged down the hallway seeking more.

The adrenaline was pumping and coursing through her veins now. It was showtime and it felt as if she was put on automatic; her instincts guiding her.

She battled her way, dropping and spinning from cover to cover like a pro and felt so different; a new found anger she presumed. Once the drones were down, that left a Boomer.

_Keep a direct stream to the head, get 'em every time. _Those were Merchants words. Where was the old bastard anyhow?

She heeded his words and did just that. She felt a rocket whiz past her with a strong velocity that knocked her staggering for a moment. The Boomer growled, its beady black eyes locked on her. Without hesitation, she aimed for the Boomers head and fired.

Sections of skin began to tear away in eruptions of blood exposing its skull. The Boomer bellowed a roar and stumbled backward. She continued a stream until his head exploded into a thick vapour of blood.

Then, the echoy silence settled in uncomfortably, Red's ears ringing. She hadn't realize she was holding her breath. She exhaled with relief but a new intensity of fear beat her.

_Oh, God. There's Locust here too. They're everywhere! We're screwed, I know it! _

Red heard faint footsteps coming from behind a corner. She leveled her Lancer ready to fire the remainder of her clip into the drones ugly face. But just as she spun around to meet the drone head on she realized something.

Wait, those aren't grub footsteps. Those are? Gear –

Suddenly, her Lancer was ripped right from her grasp and a hard object smashed dead center into her face, knocking her onto her back. She gasped for breath and clutched her nose.

Her vision adjusted and –

"Private! Damn you, Hoover! I'm sorry, didn't mean to hit you that hard."

Merchant.


	7. Chapter 6

**6 :: Nowhere**

Red was strongly hefted to her feet. Her vision sparkled and swirled around her as she felt the pain settle into her face. She could feel to blood rushing to her nose, making her eyes water.

"I thought you were a grub, my instincts are still good." Merchant laughed and patted Red lightly on the shoulder.

"You're not old and I think you broke my nose." Red rasped pulling her hand away to examine it. No blood of hers. She began to massage the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger.

"I could have shot you." Merchant spat. "At least you're alive and I know you can handle a broken nose. And you got shit all over you. Make yourself presentable to your superiors."

Red shook off the crude advice and continued to massage her nose. She could feel a few bones beneath the skin that didn't feel in their right position.

"Who's that, Red?" Came Scott's voice in her ear. Just as she opened her mouth to reply when Merchant interrupted her before she began.

"It's your papa, Kennedy." Merchant was definitely in a good mood or just happy to see that the rest of his squad hadn't died – or that he wasn't alone in his hellhole. Either way, he was happy. The war had cast everyone in a gloomy state and there was rarely a happy spell floating around.

"Sarge?" Scott's voice lightened up with pleasure.

"That's right, Private. Now where are you?"

"Up top, sir." Scott returned to his loyal-private-Gear self again and Red had to say that she didn't like that side of him. "Radio room."

"Copy that, we're moving up."

Red felt a bit more secure now that they'd found Merchant and he was alive but it still leave the linger question of what had happened to Alex. She had to admit that she did miss his company; he'd been the only Gear she actually felt a comradeship with – friendship didn't sound like the word that fit their relationship.

"How'd you find us?" Scott asked limping over to his revolving chair and sat down.

"Heard some shots and followed the sound." Merchant chewed on something, one of the dry rations Scott gave him. Merchant laughed and drew back. "And I knocked the crud outta Hoover." He slapped her hard on her hunched over back. She hardly smiled. Pain throbbed all over her nose and a she had acquired a pounding headache.

Scott grabbed a headset from the console and snapped it around his neck. "But you didn't injury yourself when you fell?"

"Hardly. I landed on my back. I'm pretty damn lucky." Merchant gave Scott a comical look. "Unlike you."

Scott scowled. "I was going feet first down the entire way. I mean," Scott rubbed his red eyes. He was tired Red could easily tell and she was about to bring the subject up when the conversation hit a gap. "Didn't it hurt any when you fell?"

"Yeah. I couldn't breath for probably an hour but that was about it." Merchant replied, wiping his hand together as crumbs showered onto the ground.

"I got knocked out when I fell. Not very pleasant." Red cut in and stood up. "Scott, get some sleep. You're worrying me sick. I'll man the radios."

"Hey – hey, hey." Merchant stepped towards her threateningly. "Who put you in charge? I'm still the CO around here and we're still an operational squad."

Red felt ashamed for a moment but suddenly felt uplifted by something. "Okay, you can order us around but _I'm _keeping order around here."

"Don't you think I should have full control here?" Merchant's voice grew very dark and heavy.

Red lifted her chin and stood her ground. She gestured at Scott. "Get some sleep, Scottie." Her and Merchant stared into each other eyes a different fire arising. Merchant searched her eyes for a weakness in the situation while Red stood her ground mercilessly.

Scott sheepishly exited the room, the two never breaking eye contact. Once Scott's clattering footsteps lapsed into silence, Merchant drew closer, his eyes narrower.

"You may have had control for a couple hours, _Private._" He put heavy emphasis to "private", Red felt her ego fall. She was a private but she felt stronger than a grunt. "But while I'm here, you're under my command; you obey my orders and no other. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir." Red said through clenched teeth. She suddenly wanted herself to be in command instead of Merchant, she felt she did a better job of it. But she had always been a follower when she was a child and now she felt the urge to become the leader.

"Man the radios, we're still looking for Capps - " Merchant stopped abruptly and sighed, his face softening up to an extent where Red had never seen before. Then she felt something warm trickle down her upper lip. She rubbed her finger across it and saw crimson blood stain her glove, then more blood came in a rush. She clutched her nose to stop further bleeding and grabbed a cloth form the open first aid kit and shoved it into her nostril.

Merchant turned and waved his hand at her as he departed. "Just do it, Hoover."

Red stood there a moment in utter bewilderment as she studied the mental image of Merchant's face and she desperately searched for words to describe it; to find what it meant.

_Sorrow? No. Sadness? No. _She began dug through the crevices of her mind, scanning her vocabulary for a word that would unfold the answer of his expression. She plopped down in the revolving chair and gently placed the headset onto her head, the ear pieces muffling out the background sound.

Then the words dawned to her. _Exhaustion and sympathy. _

She knew her words were accurate and correct but they didn't fit _Merchant. _He had never been a man to care about anyone – not any frigging thing. Was it because she was a woman? Because he had done harm to her? This situation? Why she was Gear?

_Maybe there is a true gentlemen behind each Gears' self, sometimes it's dominant sometimes it's recessive but they all must have one. _

Red's mind rambled on and on for twenty minutes before she stumbled out of her conscience and began trying to radios for Capps.

"Alex, this is Red. Respond. Repeat, this is Red. Respond." Silence fell onto her like a ton of rocks and rung in her ears. Her shoulders sagged. "Where the hell are you?"

Minutes turned into hours and those hours turned into days and still no sign of Alex's whereabouts. Red felt profoundly dedicated to finding him; finding any clue that he was _still alive. _But none showed itself to her.

It had been the fourth day, she calculated and still no word. She had fallen into a routine; in the morning she would try for an hour, then in the afternoon busy herself with business to keep her mind off of Alex, and then ended the day with another hour or so on the radios. Something about her didn't seem whole without Alex's company; like something was missing. He had always been sympathetic towards her, listened to her, and protected her against the raging Gear testosterone – then she realized something, sitting in the lonely Control Room, one hand on her forehead the other in her lap.

She had formed a bond to him because he had similar traits to the ones _Alton _had displayed to her. She closed her eyes and thought of herself dumb for not realizing it earlier. But – she thought, Alton was alive then now he was... Alex was the only remnant Red had of Alton besides Dante.

Dante brought a smile to her haggard face. His wide chocolate eyes, his soft golden coat and the COG tags dangling around his neck. If she ever got out of here, she would get the tags from Dante – She stopped herself from thinking further. Although she was the rightful owner of the tags, she thought Dante would be better off with them than she would.

Red's eyes drooped heavily, begging for sleep. She was _exhausted _but she forced herself to man the radios because every moment that she spent not listening, she could risk loosing clues.

"Red, why don't you let me take care of the radios. Now _you're _starting to worry me." The voice made her jump. It was Scott.

She didn't make the effort to turn to face him. Instead she rubbed her eyes and straightened up. "I'm fine." Her voice was groggily and monotonous.

"Is Alex really getting to you?" Scott's voice was light and assuring. He was really a two-faced man, the husband with one hundred personalities. Then her mind wondered to the subject of Scott. He hadn't been there maybe a couple of weeks. She hardly knew him. Every first impression mattered to her. Scott's was a cowardly-overly-loyal-grunt hoping to actually get somewhere as a Gear. She expected him only to live for a couple of battles before screwing up, costing his life. But she was proven wrong soon enough. She wondered what his family was like, if he was married, and if he had a girlfriend. Her thoughts darkened even more. What if he did only live for a couple battles? His family would be devastated. Red hadn't any family left as far as she knew. Parents, brother, no one.

"What are you my therapist?" Red grunted, clearing her throat and she began to broadcast yet another call to Alex.

"Red, you need sleep. I _mean_ it." Scott's hand fell onto her shoulder.

"I knew you meant it the first time." Red's comebacks weren't as sharp and she felt like crap and she probably looked like crap too. She spun around on the revolving chair and stared at Scott blankly.

"Do I have to drag you because I will..." Scott was serious about what he said, there was no sarcasm in his words.

"In your condition, I don't think you could drag me off this chair." She didn't know how insulting that sounded until a moment after. Scott's expression deepened with a frown.

"My ankle is good enough. Now _go sleep._ I got the radios. I find you as soon as I find something, okay?" Scott sounded awfully convincing right now so Red obeyed and stood swiftly.

"Fine." She snapped. "If it gets you off my ass."

"Yeah it will. Go." Scott countered.

Without another word said, Red stormed off to the barracks practically running directly into Merchant.

"You're walking with a purpose, Hoover." Merchant remarked, steadying her. "What's wrong?"

"Scott is making me sleep." Red sneered disgusted.

"You look like shit. You need it." Merchant said.

Red rolled her eyes and pushed past him. "Thanks for the compliment." She said gloomily.

"Now, listen here, Hoover. Just because Alexs' gone doesn't mean you can act all crappy around me and Kennedy. I thought you were the one trying to keep _order _around here." Merchant barked with a sudden flare of anger.

Red stopped dead in her tracks but didn't turn. "If you want charge so bad, go ahead take it." She could honestly careless at that point.

"You need to snap out of this fuck-the-world and screw-off attitude, now!" Merchant yelled, his famous I-take-no-shit-or-crap personality taking in. "I don't like being stuck here in this hellhole with no support or outside contact either but you need to at least have your common sense. You're gonna die out here with that attitude."

Merchant had an _extremely _good point. Red pinched the bridge of her nose. "I just need sleep, Sarge." Her voice was light.

"Yeah you do." Merchant grumbled. "Now don't go off and shot yourself."

"Or cutting." Red mentioned comically.

Merchant silently agreed and plodded off.

Red finally came to her senses. _I need to stop acting like this. This is just depressing and putting everyone in a bad mood; including me. Like Merchant said, you're the one keeping order. Keep it. _

She trudged to the barracks, feeling every muscle in her body relax but her senses were still sharp. There was still a potential chance the grubs could come back for another round. From the past days, there hadn't been any sign of them. Red thanked the Lord for that. They already had enough problems to worry about. The food in the basement was designated to keep a single Gear decently fed for at least three weeks and they were eating it up fast. She made a mental note to bring it up later on that day – as long as she didn't sleep until tomorrow morning: the fifth day.

Once she collapsed onto her cot, she realized how truly exhausted and sore she was and she fell asleep in no time.

"Red! Wake up! Red!"

Scott's voice clashed into her tranquil conscious like a hammer to a mirror. She jolted from her sleep her vision blurry and a trickle of drool moistening her chin.

"Red!" Scott was yelling, really loud.

"Why are you yelling?" Red whispered hoarsely. She clutched the side of her head as a headache pounced through and her sore body stiffened.

"Alex! It's Alex! He's alive!" Scott's face lightened up as a smile etch across it. Red snapped up, all her pains banished and forgotten. A smile of her own creased her lips. Then she became serious.

"Where is he?"

"Just under a klick away from the rig. He's barely alive. You and the Sarge are going to get him and fast." Scott's words were hard for Red to swallow but she gulped it and sprung to her feet.

She rushed down to the basement and found Merchant already there with a thank-holy-Mary smile on his face as he handed her a Lancer.

"_Capps is .46 klick due northeast of the rig. But proceed with caution and listen. The Locust might be wanting some revenge._" Scott was their new Control guy, sitting in the safety of the rig instructing them on where to go and things of that effect.

"Roger that, Kennedy." Merchant replied, jogging along side Red matching each others speed.

Their heavy bootsteps echoed widely in the mine and traveled on and one without cease. Red was so overjoyed her stomach ached and stun with excitement. She left so much lighter and so much more capable than she did hours prior.

Merchant and Red came to a wide, shallow pool of clear water bordered by jagged rocks. They shined their lights along the water, dazzling rays glinting off but a reflect caught Red's eye. She gasped lightly and panned around to reveal the reflections source fear striking through here.

"Alex!" Red nearly shrieked.

The ceiling was crowded with razor-sharp stalactites, dripping water into the pool and from impossibly hanging face down from one of them was Alex, battered, bruised and pale.

"How the _hell _did you get stuck up there, son?" Merchant inquired in awe. Alex let out a pained, raspy croak in return.

Red hopped into the pool and splashed through it trying to figure out a way to get him down without killing or disturbing anything. Merchant soon followed.

Red saw that he was hanging from a harness on his back and one of the straps was deepening itself farther into his neck, choking him!

"How are we going to get him down?" Red mumbled scanning the ceiling as if the answer were written there.

"Uh..." Merchant stammered thinking deeply.

"It's a strap." Then an idea emerged from the murky depths of her mind. "Are you an accurate shot?"

"Pretty damn well, why?" Merchant paused a moment and Red gave him an obvious look that displayed her plan on her face quite well. He nodded and drew his sidearm. "Hold still, Capps. This won't hurt a bit." Merchant cracked as he sighted down his sidearm.

Silence enveloped them for a brief moment before a single shot rang out, echoing far within the mine. The strip snapped and sent Alex plunging towards the pool. He crashed onto the surface, throwing up water.

Red rushed to his aid, knelt and sat him up. His head flipped up and he gagged out water and gasped for air desperately. "Damn." He gasped and then coughed up water.

Relief washed over Red as she knew their entire squad had survived and she felt so _good _for the first time in a long while. She smiled sweetly. "Damn would be the right word."

"_Merchant, Hoover. Uh, I suggest you return to the rig. Dark is coming and I've seen some Kyrll flying around and we all know what they do. I don't want your bodies becoming dinner for the Kyrll. Hurry up -"_

A long, gurgling shrill screech reverberated off the walls of the mine and sent a new level of fear down Red's shine. She quickly wrapped her arm around Alex's waist and began to hastily drag him out of the pool.

"What the frigging hell was that?" Red looked around frantically half-expecting something to ambush them.

"Ooh, god." Alex choked before going into a coughing fit. "Wretches."

Without another thought, Red took off running awkwardly, moving Alex along with her. "Merchant! Cover my six. I _need _to get Capps back. Move!"

Everything seemed to be focused in on getting back to the rig alive. Alex was already an easy target and she didn't know the Wretches numbers. She hated the damn things. They crawled all over the walls and ceiling ambushing you from all sides and the lopsided charge, stubby bodies, but merely cannon fodders in the Locust ranks.

Another screech ripped through the mine, it was louder and seemed to be conjoined of more than one. The chatter of the Lancer screamed behind Red as she felt like Alex weighed a ton. She forced herself, gasping for breath and even slowing her pace.

"Don't you _dare _slow down!" Merchant shouted, shoving her forward. She picked up her pace and saw the rig coming into view.

_Almost there. _She thought and terror building up inside her as Merchant swore and the sound of claws getting louder and louder. Her stomach churned and the adrenaline racing was mind-blowingly strong she could barely stand it.

She hopped through the entrance and spun around a small scream escaping her lips. A wave of Wretches were on Merchants heels. He barely made it into the rig in time. She slammed the door shut. The Wretches crashed into it and clawed it menacingly, growling and shrieking.

"Scott! Seal off all the doors! Now! We're clear, we got Alex!" Red barked.

"_Can do. Welcome back buddy._"


	8. Chapter 7

**7 :: Minimal **

Red knew the numbers were off. She counted again and again and the numbers still came out the same. Then she panicked, her mind racing. A considerable portion of their shared rations was missing. Red counted every morning and night to monitor the amount of rations they could take in over a period of twenty four hours. She advised the others to eat them sparingly; no large amounts in a short period of time.

Now that Alex had been found and was recovering from bruises and excess water resting in his lungs but other than those small complications, he was alive.

Their next priority was getting contact out to Control, which hadn't been going well. There was some interference preventing them from getting out any distress signal out. And of course, staying alive. Red knew they would get out alive but she feared starvation would kill them first before the Locust could.

"_How did – the grubs get down here?" _Alex's hoarse voice came over the comlink in a whisper.

"_Wait, you didn't know they were down here?" _Scott's voice was full of confusion.

Something snapped inside of Red and anger flared through her. "What!" _Scott knew there were grubs down here. Why that two-timed bastard! _

"_I thought you guys knew! These mines are connected to some of the grub holes. I thought you..." _

"What the hell! When you planning on telling us! You bastard!" Not knowing something always caught Red off-guard and she felt so vulnerable not knowing all the details.

Scott stammered. "I thought you..."

"Calm down, Red. We were bound to find out anyway. That information wouldn't have done us any good." Alex's voice was controlled and smooth.

Red relaxed her shoulders and exhaled slowly.

Her anger had been burning inside of her for a while now and she knew it came from different sources. This place was getting her more and more edgy and the Locust at their doorstep wasn't something Red liked to keep in mind, while challenged with survival.

"_How's your counting going?_" Merchant asked, his voice clashing against quiet static.

"We've got a problem. A _large _amount of rations are gone and last nights numbers were higher than they are in the morning." Red reported solemnly. "I was up last night but I never came down here. And so were you Scott."

"_Are you saying that one of _us _took it_?" Scott's voice was edgy with fear.

"Who else could have taken it then? What were you doing last night?" Red could sense uneasiness in Scott's voice and she became suspicious that _he _might have taken it.

"Fixing the AC." He answered. "What were you doing?"

"Trying to contact Control." And she had stayed up all night do so. She was exhausted and achy. She wasn't going to be able to go on like this much longer. They needed to figure out someway to get out of here or this place was going to kill her.

"I'm not up for this shit right now." Red rubbed her eyes and climbed up the metal staircase up to the first level of the rig. She headed for the barracks to catch a few Z's. "Whoever did it, you'd _better _put it back before I get a gun and shove it so far up your ass you can taste it. I hope I've made myself clear that I want those rations back before tonight or we might die just a bit faster..." Without another word uttered, she continued towards the barracks.

2 months ago

Scott was happy with himself, he was finally on his way to meet his squad. Even his fiancée, Darla, was excited for him. He was very proud of himself for getting through the worst shit scenario they called "training" and getting far enough to be called a private. But he knew he could die at any given moment once on the frontline.

"I'm very proud of you, Scottie and that's what I love about you. You never give up." Darla's words echoed in Scott's conscience as the armoured Armadillo rumbled down the desolate streets of Ephyra. Even Darla's warm touch on his cheek remained. Scott didn't want to leave the love of his life but he wanted to serve. He wanted to kick some grub ass before dying. He wanted to make the best of his life because with the way this war was going, he knew he wouldn't have long to live.

Scott could hardly smile in the position he was in. He was crammed between two larger Gears that were rough looking but they were all on the same side and that seemed to ease him a bit.

Major Raine Ward was leaning against the vibrating bulkhead of the Armadillo with a finger pressed to his ear. Scott knew hardly of him – as a matter of fact, he had never seen or heard of him before until he boarded the Armadillo. The Major had a full body of muscle and his face was heavily scarred obscuring his nose and mouth but his armour was in tip-top shape and quiet glossy looking, which Scott didn't know was possible. He was nodding and murmuring words as if he was having a conversation with someone over the com.

Scott was eager to meet his squad. He hoped they would allow him to prove himself and wouldn't already count him out because he was a grunt. And he was also ready to get out of this confined space with little breathing room.

"Listen up." The booming voice came from the Major who was now solemn, massive arms folded over his chest. He plodded to stand in front of the line, eyeing each of them.

Small chatter ceased except for a few voices coming from the driver. Scott straightened up as he felt the Armadillo slowing, excitement

"You're on the frontline now and on standby. Expect orders at any given moment - regardless of the timing." The Major's voice had almost a sarcasm tone but Scott knew all too well that he wasn't jeering. He understood the expectations of a Gear and knew he would live up to them, so he had nothing to worry about.

The Major eyed all the grunts letting an uncomfortable silence fall, deepening the depth of his words. Scott made sure they stuck in his mind; something told him he might be needing the information later.

"Major, ETA to the base, two minutes." A male voice shouted from the far end of the 'Dill.

"Listen closely," The Major warned with a dangerously light voice and snatched up a clipboard. "because I'm not repeating this again."

_Alpha – no. _

_Beta – no. _

_Gamma – no. _

_Sigma – no. _

_Chi – no. _

_Omega – no _

_Epsilon – no. _

"And Kennedy, Theta." The Major chewed on the inside of his cheek and slipped the clipboard underneath his arm. He clasped his hands behind his back and teetered on his heels. "Alright men, let God have mercy on you." He saluted slowly.

The hatch of the 'Dill eased open and the privates stood, returning the salute. Without further ado, they ambled off.

An abundance of different odors greeted Scott's senses, some more pleasant than others. Food, vehicle exhaust, soap, gun discharge, and many other smells he couldn't quite place. The 'Dill had dropped them off in large plaza, rambling with voices and sounds.

Scott began forward, intently scanning the plaza. He hadn't the slightest idea what any of his squad looked like. The other privates were gone, leaving Scott feeling painstakingly alone and lost.

Then he spotted a tall Gear, hands clasped behind his back, standing and solidly watching him. He had hooded brown eyes, a nicely shaved head, a crooked nose, and sharp chin. His skin was a deep mocha and a noticeably raw scar streaking down his cheek. It looked very painful. It was four uneven lines at a slight angle the longest at his eye and the shortest the corner of his mouth.

"Private Scott Kennedy..." His voice was deep and authoritative and his gaze never faltered. He scanned over Scott sharply. "Am I correct?"

Merchant had to say, from all the sorry looking grunts that had emerged from the 'Dill, his seemed the most lost.

Scott Kennedy was his name and his record was very clean, perfect actually. Probably never killed or harmed another living soul in his sheltered life. That was about the change.

He was young, good looking, muscular and would do pretty much anything he said. He knew from past experience that newbies would do anything for their superiors to impress them but there was also the possibility that he was so high in loyalty – drunk in it that he would do anything without a question. Merchant now had plans.

Merchant just frowned and shook his head. The kid looked so clueless, just staring off into space. He was obviously lost. He might not be too bright. Merchant could already see him go down the drain within a couple of weeks, day even.

But Merchant continued to stare at him for a good two minutes before the kid caught his gaze. It was only a moment, like he was scanning. _C'mon kid. I'm right-here. Are you blind?_ That was the next thing he needed, a blind newbie. He then wondered about his sight, how good it was, how bad it was.

The kid finally locked gaze with him and approached him. Merchant decided to speak up, just in case he was heading for someone just behind him.

"Private Scott Kennedy." Merchant had a authoritative voice that couldn't be ignored. It was very useful in situations such as. The kid looked at me like I was dumb and was talking nonsense. "Am I correct?"

"Yes sir." His voice was higher than Merchant had expected. What, was this kid like ten? He snapped a salute.

"At ease, private. You don't have to salute to me." Merchant waved at him and made a small gesture to the parked 'Dill. "But that bastard, I would just keep a straight face and a good salute." He lower his voice. "Everything gets on his ass." Merchant gave a good, loud laugh and slapped him across the back.

The kid was barely coming out of his shell. He even crinced a little when he gave him a good slap. He even had a girly laugh. Merchant was about to make his boy manly enough to chainsaw a grub without any expression. But his pussy personality wasn't helping his plans get any better but he kept them. He knew he could shape people and it was something he was good at.

He lead the kid back to the barracks so he could meet up with the rest of Theta.

"Look what daddy brought home." Merchant lightly shoved Kennedy farther into the barracks. He just stood in the doorway for a moment before Merchant just had to shove him. He couldn't believe how unbelievably slow his kid was crawling from his shell. Merchant thought he had never been so friendly in his life to _anyone. _He hoped some hardcore action would yank him out.

The first to come was Alexander Capps, real down-to-earth kind of guy that always keep common sense at hand. The peacemaker also. His head came up from his intense Lancer cleaning. He smiled.

"Capps, this is Private Scott Kennedy." Merchant nudged Scott forward, urging him to at least offer his hand. Kennedy offered his hand and Capps shook it firmly. "Kennedy, Coporal Alexander Capps."

"Welcome to Theta and you can call my Alex." Capps always had a monotonous voice that never faltered but he had such cold, serious eyes. Kennedy just smiled and nodded.

The door opened behind them and two Gears ambled in with a golden Labrador Retriever happily trotting beside them. Merchant turned to greet them.

First was a fine woman that hardly looked nothing like a Gear, except her bulky armor. She could get by as a Stranded at any moment. And she was very attractive. Her name was Redell Hoover. Strange name but it suited her fine, complimenting her fiery red hair.

Beside her was her tall brother and they looked so much alike. His name was Alton, the leader of Epsilon squad, an elite squad used for the classified operations directly ordered from Chairman Prescott himself.

Merchant could never get over the sight of a _dog _trailing beside a Gear but found himself rarely noticing it now. The dog was very healthy looking compared to the stray mutts prowling around in Ephyra, aggressive and bloodthirsty. He thought the dogs name was Dan or Danny or something like that.

"Hoover, where have you been?" Merchant questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"Excuse her absence, Sergeant." Alton's voice was very calm and controlled. He was an excellent fighter as far as Merchant knew and a good kid too, despite he was only four years younger than him.

"Well, Private. Meet the rookie." Merchant placed a hand on Kennedy's shoulder and wasn't surprised at all when he caught a glance of him. His eyes were wide and staring at Redell blankly.

Redell offered out her slender, gloved hand for greeting. "I'm Private Redell Hoover." She introduced with her best smile, one Merchant hadn't seen in a while. She always seemed her best with her brother around. "You can just call me Red. And your name is..."

"Scott." He said, swallowing. "Scott Kennedy. Private."

"It's nice to meet you, Scott." Her voice was smooth and sweet. Merchant was still astonished that she was a Gear to begin with. He knew that the only reason she became one was to save herself from the Locust and to be with her brother. They had a strong bond, he assumed. But Redell was so _innocent. _If there was no war, she would have been a beautiful woman and probably already married.

Dan – or Danny growled deeply and barked startling Merchant. Redell cooed something and bent down to stroke Dan – Danny's head. "It's okay, Dante. I'm okay."

_Ooh. Dante. _

Merchant always wondered where he'd be if there were no war. Sitting back with his kids, watching trashball – maybe. Drinking up all his money in whisky. He didn't know but he always wondered.

Suddenly, a Gear appeared in the doorway, peeking around the doorframe a bit. "Sergeant Merchant." He piped up. "I'm sorry to bother you, sir but you wife is calling you."

That sent a whole thrill of feelings through Merchant. The barracks was silent as he approached the Gear. Merchant and everyone there knew something bad had happened. Merchant's wife, Giovanna, were very rare unless something important was up.

Redell saved the moment by bringing up a conversation with Kennedy and they quickly lapsed into conversation acting as if nothing were wrong.

The Gear handed Merchant a wireless phone, hand almost shaking. He pressed it to his ear. "Giovanna? How are you doing?"

"Horrible, actually." Her voice was cold.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything."

"You need to be more specific."

"The loneliness, the constant worrying, everything this war has thrown at me." The word "me" stuck out to Merchant. He wondered why she hadn't said "we" because this war wasn't a frigging ray of sunshine to him either. "Wyatt. I can't take this anymore." Giovanna's voice was haggard and strained and Merchant could tell she hadn't slept. "This won't work."

Anxiety ripped through Merchant. "What won't?" He lowered his voice to a murmur.

"Our marriage. I can't stand the loneliness. I'm moving to Corren with my sister. We're over, I'm sorry."

Guilty stung Merchant's face as he flushed. "Giovanna. Don't do this. Please." Merchant loved Giovanna very much and their marriage had prospered for twelve years. He knew how much worrying she did every night praying that her husband hadn't died. How much she worried for friends, close relatives, and frankly, herself.

They even had a son, Leonard but he had died five years ago in a siege. It tore Giovanna apart and Merchant as well. He barely knew his son and he had only been seven years old.

"I'm sorry, Wyatt. I can't stand it. Maybe my sister will have some men that will actually be around when I need them." The line was disconnected abruptly and it left Merchant speechless and destroyed.

Maybe it was Leonard's death, Merchant's absence, the war, he would never know for sure. Her words were like bullets. Merchant shook his head and strolled back into their barracks, pale.

Alex knew his Lancer inside and out and could assemble and disassemble it blindfolded. For a weapon he knew so well, he kept it highly maintained. He cleaned it any chance he got, most of the time it was just to pass the time or avoid an awkward conversation with Merchant. He tended to have such with him, wasn't so sure why...

Alex would normally lock himself in the barracks and for hours he would waste time cleaning the Lancer. Sometimes he did it just for the sheer joy of doing it and impressing himself everytime. But, his Lancer did need a good clean. His previous engagement with a horde of grubs was close-quarters. The buzzing was still ringing in his ears.

The door to the barracks swung open, realizing he hadn't locked it. At first, Alex was a little perturbed that he was about to interrupted during his favourite part of the cleaning process.

"Look what daddy brought home."

Merchant.

Alex would know that voice anywhere. He had a voice that could stop a crowd and scare the living shit out of anyone. Including Gears.

He looked up with a blank expression until he had seen what he had brought with him.

_Ah, the newbies' here. _

The newbie was young and had a handsome face that was likely to get a woman of supreme beauty indeed and he looked _very _uncomfortable. Merchant tended to do it to all the newbies' he met. He called it, "being friendly" but Alex just found it strange.

Alex forced a smile.

"Capps, this is Private Scott Kennedy." Merchant prodded the newbie forward. He offered out his hand politely. Alex shook it firmly, noticing how loose his grip was.

"Welcome to Theta and you can just call me Alex." He preferred Gears to call him by his first name or by his rank, not his last name. That was another thing Merchant did that annoyed Alex, most of which he kept to himself.

The newbie, Scott, just nodded and smiled and didn't utter anything. Merchant did toss out a lot for anyone to swallow. Alex felt sorry for the poor guy.

The barrack door opened and in strode two Gears, trailed by a Labrador Retriever. Seeing a tamed dog was something you didn't see everyday, ever since the grubs came back, the dogs returned to their natural wild selves.

The first Gear was a stunning woman that hardly looked like a Gear. She was too beautiful to be one. Without armour, she could have gotten easily away as civilian. She had fine, fiery red hair cascading into the crevices of her armour and an rather seductive smile that was very captivating. Her name was Redell, Red, Hoover and what a lovely name it was.

Behind Red was her tall, broad brother, Alton who Alex knew like a friend, he was like a guy you could have a beer with. He was friendly, protective over his sister, and great leader and fighter. He was the leader of Epsilon squad, if that told you anything, he's good.

The dog's name was Dante and he was a stray mutt that Alton had found early in his years of being a Gear. He took him back to base, shared his food with the dog, treated him nicely, and they were forever bonded. He looked very healthy and happy with himself.

"Hoover, where have you been?" Merchant questioned, raising any eyebrow at her.

"Excuse her absence, Sergeant." Alton had a calm and direct voice that reminded you easily of a wise friend. He _was _wise and experienced.

Merchant hardly made any acknowledgment to Alton's excuse and went on, "Well, Private. Meet the rookie." His hand fell onto Scott's shoulder and he could see him cringe at his touch.

Red extended her delicate, gloved hand for greeting. "I'm Private Redell Hoover." She smiled brightly. Her voice was even and charming. She always seemed her best and happiest with her brother around. She always seemed nothing like a Gear. "You can just call me Red. And your name is..." Her voice trailed off leaving a gap for Scott to fill in.

Scott's expression was astonished and almost lustful. "Scott." He said. "Scott Kennedy. Private." He sounded like he was scatterbrained, he must have found her _that _intoxicating.

Dante suddenly tensed up and barked, making Alex jump. A dog bark was a background sound and he had never heard it so close before. Red bent down and stroked Dante's head playfully. "It's okay, Dante. I'm okay."

Dante was just what his breed was like, protective, friendly, and very loving.

Alex knew something was wrong when he caught a Gear peeking into the barracks, sheepishly out of the corner of his eye. He directed his attention to look longingly.

"Sergeant Merchant." The barracks fell silent. "I'm sorry to bother you, sir but your wife is calling." The Gear held up a wireless phone.

Giovanna Merchant had been a lovely woman with a hardy attitude and respectful personality. She had been a secretary for the House of Sovereigns for the longest time. And that's how they, supposedly, met. They got married and had a son, who had unfortunately died five years ago. It was a tragedy day and it left Merchant depressed for the longest time.

Now, she was calling him and they all knew that something had gone wrong. Her calls were rare, non-existing actually. Merchant exited the barracks, reluctantly, pulling at his collar.

"So, Scott. When did you get in?" Red was good at breaking the silence. The random conversation starters were quiet frequent and she could think of some bizarre ones too.

Scott took no notice into the discomfort and the insecurity in the air and happily replied, "Just about an hour ago."

Alex and Alton turned to act as if they were part of the conversation, knowing something had gone _terribly _wrong.

After the longest time is seemed, Merchant strode back in, his face completely pale. Alton shot Alex a concerned glance, he couldn't help but return it.

Alex considered bringing up the subject but around the newbie? I think the kid was already overwhelmed enough.

"You okay, Sarge?" That was Red but it didn't sound like the words she would say. Something a Gear would say. Alex could never get over that this _innocent _woman would want to be a Gear...

Merchant vacantly stared into a wall before he settled onto a bunk. He let his head fall into his hand and then shook it. "Shit..."

"What happened?" Red had many sides of herself. There was the tough-Gear personality, the polite-young-woman personality, the seductive-woman personality, the happy-go-lucky personality, the depressed-as-hell personality, and the natural-I-care-about-your-feelings personality. Just like any woman would have.

"It's Giovanna." He murmured, his voice heavy. Red maneuvered herself to sit beside him, comfortingly.

Your squad was like your family, you didn't keep secrets, and you certainly didn't keep your feelings locked away, which Alex knew he was guilty of.

"Is she alright?" Red asked lightly.

Scott looked confused as hell, looking at Alex and then at Alton waiting for an explanation but they had none to give.

"Yeah, she's fine, alright." Merchant's head lifted and his eyes were brimmed with red. "Without me."

"She didn't." Red silently gasped.

Then it all made sense. Giovanna, the motherly woman Alex knew, had left Merchant, discontinued marriage. Alex's throat dried and he felt pity for the man.

Merchant scratched his ear self-consciously and nodded.

Alex knew that everything went down hill after their son had died and he didn't know how much more farther down it could go from there. He knew nothing could go down further if it reach the bottom... The grubs on the other hand, could get much, _much _farther down than just the bottom...


End file.
